WELCOME TO THE OFFICIAL BLOG for La Pétanque Marinière in San Rafael, California. LPM has been an active Marinpétanqueclub since 1972 and affiliated with theFédération of Pétanque USA, since 1975. We welcome people of all abilities, ages and nationalities to come and enjoy pétanque with us.

The Pierre Joske Courts are located on Civic Center drive in San Rafael. (click for directions). Casual games are played every Thursday, Saturday and Sunday from about 1 pm. Tournament play is usually held on the second Sunday of every month.

Please consult the links on the sidebar to the right for more information on clubs in the bay area, nationally and world wide.

If you would like to play but haven't any boules, please contact our President, Christine Cragg, or Ken Lee. They can bring some for you to use, as well as introduce you to the basic skills and techniques of pétanque. In addition, if you are looking to purchase boules but are unsure as to which size and weight are right for you, we have a range of different examples from which to choose.

Sunday, September 30, 2012

FPUSA News

As we transition from Summer to Fall, I wanted to send you a brief update on recent news and info on two upcoming events

Firstly, please join me in congratulating our new Women's Team USA! Erin McTaggart, Narin Garrett and Barbara Hall (all from Valley of the Moon Petanque Club in Sonoma, Ca.) were victorious in the Women's World Championship Qualification Tournament that was held in Blue Hill Maine on September 8-9. The team will represent the USA at the FIPJP Women's World Championship currently scheduled for Tunisia in late 2013 and will certainly be fine representatives for all of us. Nice going, Ladies!

Special thanks goes to the Maine Boules Club for hosting the tournament and to all the players who took part.

And speaking of World Championships...

Next week our Men's Team of Pascal Corschia, Juan Garcia, Ziggy Kessouagni and Peter Mathis travel to Istres, France to play in the Pan American Confederation playoff in order to qualify for a spot in the FIPJP Men's World Championship on October 4-7th in Marseille. Teams from Canada, Mexico, Argentina and Bermuda will be their opponents in Istres and the Pan Am Confederation's three berths in the World Championship will be awarded to the top finishers. The team will be accompanied by Coach Didier Bloch of Boule du Desert and FPUSA Secretary, Frank Pipal, who will be our Head of Delegation. Let's all wish our team GOOD LUCK!

Be sure to bookmark this link and follow our team's progress in Marseille.

PETANQUE AMERICA OPEN, NOVEMBER 10-11, AMELIA ISLAND, FLORIDA

There are still a few spots available for what has become the signature event on the U.S. petanque calendar. 128 doubles teams from around the country and abroad will descend on this small and friendly community just outside of Jacksonville, Florida. As some of us already know, PA's Philippe Boets and the crew from Amelia Island Boules offer a great opportunity for players of all levels to compete in a friendly environment, see old friends and make new ones.There will be technique clinics on Friday, November 9th and many other activities over the weekend.

Last event reminder:FPUSA Men's International Qualifier, October 27-28 to be hosted Boca Petanque 2000. The winners of this tournament will represent the USA in 2013 at the FIPJP Confederations World Cup or another international tournament to be announced. Entry form and tournament regulations are available for download.